Sis Poemes

Joan Brossa

Estanc

Se restablece la bandera bicolor,
roja y gualda, como bandera de España.
La tradicional bandera bicolor, roja y gualda,
la gloriosa enseña que ha presidido las
gestas inmortales de nuestra historia.

                                               Hay un sello.




El mur de l’alegria

Ara és una cinta
que esclata en estels verds,
blaus i vermells.
Ara és una palma
arquejada que es fon
després d’esclatar.
I tot just
els primers coets
han mort, que ja
en brillen uns segons
i uns tercers.





Geometria i papallones

Dues
ratlles que es troben
en un punt formen un
angle.

Polígon
és un pla limitat
per ratlles.

Circumferència
és una ratlla corba
tancada.

Papallones d’ales blaves
i d’ales blanques amb pics foscos.
Però a mi m’agrada
aquesta d’ales vermelles i d’aspecte
vellutat.





Elegia

Aquesta caritat té un sentit
polític ben precís: només
la reserven als feixistes i als
reaccionaris; mai a favor
d’un enemic, per exemple,
un republicà espanyol.




Bàquic

L’ordre de suprimir les festes de
carnaval va sortir el 3 de febrer
de 1937, i encara continua vigent.

(I un diable
vermell apareix per l’escotilló
del convent.)





Cant

El dia que la majoria
que s’oposa als monopolis
s’esforci per acomplir els seus
fins, serà el començament
d’una victòria.

Read the English translation

The six poems presented here come from the book El Saltamarti (The Tumbler) written by Joan Brossa in 1963 and published in 1969. El Saltamarti is a real synthesis of Brossa’s principal themes at the time, and brings together visual poems as well as poems that display his growing sense of social commitment. It is also testament to Brossa’s tremendous versatility with regard to form: there are formal poems that deploy Alexandrine lines alongside poems of a freer verse.

In terms of language, these poems came across into English quite easily. Brossa’s style is direct and clear. His poetry uses plain language in a straightforward manner. But Brossa can also be unusual and elusive. He often places the object of a line before the subject, which can catch the ear by surprise and serve to keep the reader alert. The poems are often funny and playful, but are just as often sharp and cutting; there is much to attend to in the tone of the poems. The apparent simplicity and ease of the poems in El Saltamarti can be deceptive and certainly adds to their subversive nature.

Joan Brossa (1919–1998) was born in Barcelona into a family of artisans. He began writing when he was mobilised in the Spanish Civil War. During the forties, he was introduced to surrealism thanks to meeting Joan Miró and Joan Prats. This led him to start writing sonnets, odes, and theatre pieces, within a neo-surrealist framework that he referred to as “scenic poetry.” In 1941, under the influence of futurism, he produced his first visual poems. He founded the magazine Dau al Set in 1948 and during the fifties and sixties, his poetry took on a social engagement. Books such as El Saltamartí (1963) presented a synthesis of themes. However, it was the publication of Poesia Rasa (1970), Poemes de seny i cabell (1977), Rua de llibres (1980), and the six volumes of Poesia escénica (between 1973 and 1983) that saw Brossa become established as a principal figure in contemporary Catalan literature.

Cameron Griffiths studied History and English Literature at the University of Waikato in New Zealand and works in the field of Information Technology. His poetry has appeared in journals in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. He has recently moved with his family from New Zealand to Spain where he will continue several writing projects, including the translation of a book of poems by Joan Brossa.